Broken
by Heart's Door
Summary: Sakura and Syaoran have finally found each other again after many years of hurt and pain. But there is something wrong. Someone has given Sakura a task to fulfill. And she cannot deny that task. Oneshot.


_Disclaimer: Card Captor Sakura belongs to CLAMP.  
A/N: This is my first CCS fanfic! Also, I'm going to be referring to Sakura's Wand as her Staff._

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* * *

_**Broken**

The young maiden held her Staff high, and her head bowed low. She walked purposefully, and she walked aimlessly. She had a destination, but she did not seek her goal.

"Sakura," a voice called.

She turned towards the voice, and her heart soared at the sight of his face, but fell at the realization of who he was.

"Sakura…" His voice cracked, and tears filled his eyes.

Seven years of separation had changed them both.

Broken-hearted, he had searched for his lost love. Wandering the lands, he had practically lost hope and the spark in his eyes. The cockiness and confident smirks were gone, to be replaced by a well of tears and realized appreciation, though it was slightly shadowed with the horrors of the past.

Broken-souled, she had searched for freedom from her new-found master. Seeking her heart, she saw that it had been filled with darkness. Tainted and crushed, she lost her innocent naiveté and had found a dark pit inside her filled with bitterness, grief, and desolation. Haunted by memories, she had feared freedom.

All of those years of silence gave way, and in one spoken name she poured out her heart and soul, her mind and spirit. "Syoaran," she cried.

Her knees felt wobbly, and she couldn't find the strength to stand strong any longer. She lost her will to feign confidence, contentment, and joy. Then she fell, her Staff abandoned, her broken soul now exposed.

He ran to her side, happy to see her, but distressed to find her this way. What had happened to transform her into this hollow creature? She seemed so frail and oh, so delicate.

Fearful of losing her again, he held her closely in his arms. He would never let her go again.

"Sakura," he choked. "I'm sorry. Please…forgive me. I didn't mean all those cruel words I said. Please…I didn't –" He choked on his many salty tears. "I didn't mean it. Don't ever," he took a struggled breath, "leave again. Please… Don't leave me… I won't ever hurt you like I did again." He looked into her emerald eyes with his own pleading amber orbs. "I promise... Please… Just don't ever leave me like that. Don't leave me all alone."

A scene flashed before her, and her heart stopped for a beat or two.

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_"__I HATE YOU! LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE! YOU MESSED UP, SAKURA! AND THIS TIME, YOU HAVE NO ONE TO BLAME BUT YOU!"_

___Gaping at the still bodies of the Li Clan, the Card Mistress was at a loss for words. Losing control of the Cards, her error had allowed them to destroy half of Japan and take the lives of many._

___Her heart stung with the sharp words coming from his mouth. Slowly, her inner core began to bleed._

_"__I TOLD YOU TO STOP TRYING TO BE THE MISTRESS! I TOLD YOU THAT IT WAS DANGEROUS! I TOLD YOU THAT YOU MIGHT ONE DAY LOSE CONTROL OF THEM! WHY COULDN'T YOU JUST LISTEN TO ME! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO BE SUCH A STUPID, IDIOTIC, STUBBORN BRAT!"_

___Her throat closed up, and her vision was blurring with tears. He _had_ told her, hadn't he? He had warned her countless times and pleaded for her to allow him to take over the demanding task, or at least help take part of the burden._

___But she had been proud. And she had walked away. She had refused his help even when she had known she could no longer control the Cards. Even when she had known something dire was about to happen, though she hadn't known what._

___Now she was paying the price for her selfish acts._

_"__I HATE YOU! I **HATE** YOU! LOOK WHAT YOU AND YOUR SELFISH MISTAKES HAVE DONE! I CAN'T STAND YOU! GET OUT OF MY FACE! GET OUT OF MY LIFE! I HATE YOU I HATE YOU **I HATE YOU**!"_

___Blinded by tears, she understood. She understood the pain he was going through, the anguish he was feeling to have lost his family and his home. To have been turned away by his love only to have her take everything else he had left. She understood what he wanted her to do._

___So she left, limping into the obscure shadows._

___------- _

She stared back at him, not knowing what to say, not wanting to say anything.

"Sakura, please." He closed his eyes, and his tears fell onto her smooth face, dripping down the side of her chin.

She brought her cheek up to his, and her own tears merged with the ones escaping from her love's eyes.

"It was my fault," she whispered. "I was being stupid… I'm sorry. And you were right. I'm the stupidest idiot you could ever find in this place."

He laughed quietly. "No, you're not that stupid. And it's alright. I'm just glad I finally found you. I thought I had lost you forever… I was afraid to be alone."

"Syaoran…"

She remembered her task, and the appalling prospect of what she was to do taunted her.

"Syaroran… I love you," she sobbed.

He buried his face in her auburn hair. "I love you too, Sakura."

She wept, knowing he wouldn't suspect what she was about to do, and she hated herself for being so enslaved.

She reached out her hand and picked up her Staff.

She whispered the Words through her renewed tears. _"__Release the essence of your soul. Return to the form you were meant to be... CLOW CARD!_"

There was a sharp intake of breath, and then she could no longer feel his arms around her. Opening her eyes, she looked down at what lay before her and, picking up the Card, she wept; the tears were raining down faster now, and she didn't think they would or could ever end.

"Well done, Card Mistress." His voice mocked her. "Well done."

She refused to look at him. Refused to look into those dead blue eyes.

_"__I call upon the darkness of night and answer the yearning within: Release the essence of your soul. Return to the form you were meant to be…_ _Clow Card!_"

She felt a tingling on her skin, and she knew she was fading away. Soon, all trace of her would be gone from this earth.

She accepted this fate.

She heaved a tired sigh, and finally, her grief and pain was gone.

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_"__You want to be set free?"_

_"… __Yes."_

_"__Seven years of being enslaved by my authority, hmm? ... Sakura, I give you one final task before I grant you freedom. Search for your beloved. And return him to the form he was meant to be... You remember what I told you, don't you?"_

_"… __Yes."_

_"__All humans were meant to be Cards. But they were granted a choice between taking that road, or another road. The road of chance and fate. The opportunity to make their own choices and live their own lives. Inside, the essence of their soul is still tied to the powers of Clow. And some yearn for it... I want you to return your love into that true form. Then I will grant you freedom... Is that not fair?"_

___Her heart was shattered, and she wanted to refuse. But the request was, in fact, not a request, and they both knew it. It was a command. And she had no power to defy it._

_"__... Yes."_

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An amused smirk tugged at the Clow reincarnation's lips, and he bent down to pick up what lay on the ground.

The first was in the image of a young man. His face was wrenched in pain and grief. Yet, through the sorrow, it still shone with love. "The Heart."

The second was in the image of a young woman, the Card Mistress. From one look at her, one could see that her heart was riddled with many countless scars. But looking closer, one might notice a shadow of hope barely holding on to her tortured soul. "The Broken."

He thought for a moment, and a hollow chuckle escaped from his lips. "The Broken Heart."

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**A/N: Well, I hope this was written well. I had this idea stuck in my head for a long time, though, originally, it was going to be a really short scene that would be about 2-5 paragraphs long, but then I thought I should add more detail. So I did.**

**Anyway, please review! All critism, constructive and flames alike, are welcome. Advice and pointing out mistakes are welcomed, too. Also, I have another part for the ending. I thought it would make the story too gloomy and depressing, so I didn't upload it. But if you want to read it, tell me so in your review and I might add it to this story in a second short chapter. If not a lot of people want it, though, then I'll just send it to you in a private message to your fanfiction account if you ask. Personally, I think the final part of the ending kind of ruins the mood. It's kind of bothering me right now, but I think it makes the story more memorable.**


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